It is known that in modern industry there are some production processes, e.g. the manufacture of silicon wafers for microprocessors, where the tiniest speck of debris may be damaging. Certain techniques are known for the removal of even ultra-fine particles from such hard surfaces. However, more recently with increased industry movement to lighter, thinner devices both optical and electronic, the requirement for ultra-clean materials has spread to high-volume roll-to-roll production using webs of materials. While webs of hard materials, e.g. stainless steel, have been seen in this expanding market, more often polymeric materials are desired for their flexibility and optical transparency. In the same way that tiny debris can be damaging to silicon wafers, tiny debris can be a significant problem in the roll-to-roll processing of webs with the additional complications of their being many times the area needing to be cleaned, and usually, the presence of much softer surfaces. Still, webs of hard and opaque materials can benefit from cleaning of small particles from the surface.